Playing Games with Fullmetal
by allyssumdays
Summary: Ed meets a nuts person on the train to Central, where he finds out he's getting a partner, The Games Alchemist. Redone, much better now! I swear!
1. I'm sorry

After a large amount of consideration, I have come to the desicion that I will restart this story. I apologize for those who have come to enjoy this story. But as you may or may not have noticed there were a very major flaws in the story line as well as personalities of some characters. Again, I apologize. I will try to post the new **ChapterOne** as soon as possible. But for the readers who are wondering why, I would like to make a few things clear: 

1. In the original story line, my new character was a Mary-Sue. I hope to be able to fix that in the near future. And even though my character was a girl, this was not a pairing between her and Ed. Winry threatened me with all manner of tools. But I am thinking of some romance between my character and someone else, not from the Elric family.

2. In the catogory of personalities, I made Hughes say something that we all know he wouldn't. That was a fault in the wording, which again I hope to fix.

I'm sorry for the trouble I may or may not have caused, and review in anger if you must. But remember, I am doing this to bring the story to life, and make these characters real people, not just names on a page. _Until the next chapter..._


	2. At the Train Station

**Chapter One: _At the Train Station_**

An old man was waiting for his train on Platform Four. He checked his watch, then sat down to read his newspaper. But before he could pick it up, a small red, black, and gold blur ran past and upset the paper, sending random pieces in every direction. The man did nothing, until a tall person in a suit of armor stopped and said,

"Sorry mister, it's just--my brother and I--"

"AL HURRY UP!" Called the blur.

"WE'RE LATE FOR OUR TRAIN!" The person finished, and ran after said blur.

The old man did nothing then sighed. "Kids today. Always in a hurry. Why, back in my day..."

* * *

"C'MON AL WE CAN'T BE LATE!" Ed yelled to his younger brother, thinking helplessly to himself _Not again...Why is it always trains!_

"BROTHER! WHAT PLATFORM IS IT ON?" Al asked, catching up to his brother.

As Al surpassed him, Ed replied, "NO CLUE! JUST LOOK FOR THE TRAIN THAT'S MOVING!"

"YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT TRAIN WE'RE GOING ON!" Al yelled, his voice showing that he knew that his brother was hopeless.

"THAT ONE!" Ed replied happily, pointing towards a train.

It wasn't until the end of the train passed the brothers that they realized they were running in the opposite direction. Al realized this in time to grab the rail on the end of the train and hop on the back, but it took Ed a bit longer. When he turned, Al held out his hand, yelling,

"Grab my hand brother!"

Ed stretched out his arm, but he couldn't reach Al. Still he kept running, even after he almost ran into a pillar. Brownie points for Ed. But eventually, he knew there was no point, especially after the train rolled out of the platform. Leaving Ed on the platform, and Al thinking, _He's gonna get an earful from the Colonel_.

"Hey."

Ed turned to see a girl just about his age, staring off in the distance.

"Was that the train to Central?" She asked, looking over at Ed, showing medium brown hair and green eyes in a lightly tanned face.

Ed replied, in a slightly hysterical voice, "The train to Central. The last one for today. And on it, my brother, who now has to explain to my superiors why he is on the train, and I'm not. I just left my brother to be burned alive, and all because I had no idea what train I needed." Ed said hysterically. He collapsed on the ground in a puddle.

The girl said, bending down to look Ed in the eye, "You lost me at 'superiors'. My name's Camie. Who are you?"

"Edward Elric, Fullmetal Alchemist." Ed said, trying to imagine what would happen to Al when he showed up at the train station in Central, and when he found Mustang waiting there. How would he react? How would _Mustang_ react?

She smirked, just slightly, just for a moment, and replied, "You're in the military; now I get it... At any rate, I need to get to Central. You said that's the last train of the day?"

The blonde was, of course, too lost in his mental image of his funeral when he finally did get to Central to reply.

"Helooooooooooo." Camie said, waving a hand in front of his face.

Regaining some of his mentality, "Yeah, that was the last train. Good luck getting to Central."

She stood up and turned to walk away. Ed stood up as well, rubbing his forehead in concentration. Damn, Mustang was going to give him HELL for missing the train. _No excuses, you should've been there,_ he thought mockingly. But what could he do but wait until the morning?

"You know," Camie said slowly, telling Ed she hadn't left yet, "There are other ways to get to Central. I mean, you could always walk."

With a scoff Ed answered, "Ever been to Central? It's too far to walk to if I want to make it by tomorrow."

It wasn't that far, but all the same he'd be there about the same time as he would if he waited for the train the next day.

Shrugging her shoulders Camie mused, "Well, you know what they say; the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step." Adding, a smirk, she continued, "I'd start stepping with those short legs of yours."

"WHO YOU CALLIN' SO SHORT YOU HAD TO USE A TELESCOPE TO SEE?" Ed said, starting to run after her.

The strange girl just laughed, and ran off, yelling comments like, "C'mon, are you telling me you're legs are too short to even keep up?"

"SHUT UP YOU STUPID PEST!" Ed retorted, getting madder.

Every time he thought he had he, she'd just duck, dodge, and run, taunting him further, "Run run, run, Jackass. You'll never catch me, I live for the chase!"

"STOP DODGING ME YOU DAMN RABBIT!"

And off in the distance, a family of rabbits looked as two strange human ran along the train tracks, and then went back to sleep.

"Where'd you go, you friggin--" Ed started, then collapsed.

He'd been trying to catch Camie for hours, and just as he had her, she disappeared in the grass. As he looked up at the sky, he noticed it was now night time.

Camie popped up right in front of his face and said, "Boo."

"Where are we now?" Ed said, irritated that she'd lead him to the middle of no where.

She reiterated, stretching her back, "Journey of a thousand mile starts with the first step. You didn't look like you were going to take it, so I figured you could use some encouragement."

Ed stood up, and looked around. In the near distance, he could see the faint glow of a city. "Is that--?"

"Welcome to Central, main Military base and home to hundreds of people and military lap dogs." She grinned over at him.

Ed glared at her. "Shut up. Besides, you had no reason to call me short."

"I never called you short," She said, starting away, "I just said you had short legs."

"Shut up."

With an teasingly amused tone, she muttered, "You know, most people say thank you after someone takes them to their destination, not shut up."

"I repeat: shut up."

"Didn't you say something about your brother being fried by your superiors?" Camie said suggestively.

Ed paled, turning a delicate shade of green. "Oh no. I'm dead."

She shook her head in disbelief, asking, "Why? Who exactly are your superiors, anyways?"

"Colonel Roy Mustang."

"Oh! Well then, I suggest you run." She said, pointing toward to city over her shoulder. "You might be able to get through your meeting alive."

_Well folks, by now you must be wondering about Al. How is he? **Where** is he? -looks around- Ah ha! Found you! -points at trash can- Actually, no, he's here:_

Al jumped off the train, looking around, hopping Ed had found a way to get there before him. Which of course, he knew was pointless, but hey, a kid can dream, right? Instead, he saw Colonel Mustang, waiting with Hawkeye and peering closely at Al, obviously waiting for Ed.

_Brother, you're dead,_ Al thought to himself.

"Alphonse!" Hawkeye yelled, trying to get his attention.

He walked over, trying to decide how to best word his reasons for Ed's absence.

"Where is your brother?" She asked, looking around, expecting that he was lagging behind to avoid confrontation.

Voice trembling nervously Al replied, "Umm...He didn't make the train on time. So..."

"He's not here?" Mustang said, glancing at Alphonse. "It would have saved some time to show up now and get thrashed later. Oh, well. His funeral."

_Most likely,_ Al thought, imagining Ed's arrival. It would be a very...heated affair (pardon the pun).

"In the mean time, are we planning on waiting here for him, or go back to Headquarters?" Hawkeye asked logically.

With a smirk, Mustang turned from the platform and threw over his shoulder, "Why don't we make him worry a bit and leave?"

Hawkeye glanced from Mustang's back to Al, obviously wondering what the younger Elric was going to do.

"It is Alphonse's choice to either wait or come," Mustang added in answer to the unasked question.

Al elected to wait for his brother there, and watched Hawkeye and Mustang walked off.

In the small hours of the morning, Ed came running into the station, saying, "CEASE FIRE!"


	3. Welcome to Central

_Damn damn damn damn DAMN!_

Ed climbed onto the platform in the rail-station, yelling "CEASE FIRE!!"

"No one's shooting, Brother," Al said calmly.

* * *

Ed blinked, looking around; upon realizing his brother was right, he yelled, "Al! Where's Mustang?"

"He left when the train got here." Al replied, walking over to Ed.

With a sigh of relief, Ed slumped to the ground.

Al looked at his brother, asking, "How did you get here so fast?"

Ed rolled his eyes, explaining, "I was sitting on the platform after the train left when this girl walks up and starts talking to me, asking me about the train. Then she called me short! So I ran after her and she kept making fun of me, and suddenly," He looked around amazed, "I'm here!"

This made Al laughed, amused that his brother had been tricked to get here.

Suddenly Ed's eyes widened, and he looked at his watch, muttering "Dammit! He's gonna kill me!"

"You should hurry, Brother." Al said in a light tone.

Ed was running already, trusting Al to catch up.

Luck was not on Ed's side. He somehow managed to trip over two people, run into a wall, and _then _Hughes saw him, and proceeded to chase after him with a promise of lovely pictures Ed just had to see right that minute (of course). He finally reached Roy's office, and entered after a short knock.

Roy was glaring at a intimidating pile of paperwork, and the look clearly said 'burst into flames'.

_Glad that's not me,_ Ed thought, before realizing that could quickly change.

"Fullmetal."

"Yeah?" Ed replied with a start.

Roy turned the glare to Ed. "You are late. Again. If you wish to make it through this alive, learn some respect."

"Yes sir." Ed said quietly, very much wanting to survive.

Leaning back in his chair for this moment of reprieve, Roy asked, "I assume you want to know why you are being called here?"

Ed nodded, anxious.

"It has come to mine and Hughes' attention that while you have been cavorting all over Ametris, you only seem to find trouble, causing more work for me." Roy paused, then continued, "So you are receiving a new assignment."

"A...A what?" Ed's confusion showed on his face. "What do you mean?"

Roy smirked slightly, explaining, "What I said. Hopefully, focusing on something besides your goal will allow you to see what's going on around you."

Ed, rather than argue, just asked, "And what is my assignment? Sir?"

With a tone of amusement, Roy continued, "A partner."

Ed stared at him, surprised. "What?"

"Partner, an archaic term meaning one that shares," Roy recited, amusement obvious now, "It also means one associated with another, especially in action, or a person with whom one shares an intimate--"

"I know what it means!" Ed said, face red. "I don't need a partner, I have Alphonse!"

It was at this point Maes found his way into the office, grinning broadly. "Oh, Roy! Guess what I just happened to have with me."

"Maes!" Roy said, eerily sounding like the other. "I was just explaining Elric's new assignment to him."

Ed looked between the two elders, now thoroughly annoyed. "I don't need a partner!"

Maes walked over to him, throwing an arm lazily over Ed's shoulder. "According to you. But you see, it occurred to me the other day, that I know this alchemist, right? And they've been working on something similar to you for the last few months. But neither of you have gotten anywhere!"

"And," Roy picked up, smiling slightly, "As you two seem to have a few things in common, it was decided that teaming you together would be more productive by trading information."

Ed was glaring at Maes' arm at that point, but suddenly turned to Roy, asking, "Wait, what do you mean a few things in common?"

The phone on Roy's desk rang shrilly. He answered, listened for a moment, then said, "Send her in."

After replacing it on the cradle, he continued, "As I was saying, the two of you share a similar goal, as well as age and-- stature."

Ed glazed over the last, asking instead, "I thought I was the only one my age in the military?"

"You were, until about-- seven months, was it, Hughes?"

A knock sounded at the door.

"Enter." Mustang said.

It opened slowly, and Ed's jaw hit the floor. 'You've gotta be kidding me.'

Standing in the doorway, sporting a military uniform, was a girl standing no taller than himself, with brown hair in a loose pony tail at the nape of her neck, and sea green eyes. Eyes that seemed to be laughing at him.

"Games Alchemist, reporting." She said, saluting Roy.

"No way. You're a State Alchemist?" Ed asked incredulously.

Maes quirked an eyebrow in interest. "Oh, did you already meet?"

Camie lowered her arm, saying, "Affirmative, sir. Approximately five and a half hours ago I saw Fullmetal at the Philo transit, Platform Nine. He had missed the last train for Central."

Ed was amazed. _What is she, a suck up?_

"Very good. Fullmetal, your new partner, Games." Roy said, almost dismissively.

Maes added cheerfully, "Also called Camie."

Camie seemed to relax, throwing Ed a smirk.

Ed shook his head. "I don't believe it. Prove it."

She rolled her eyes and muttered, "Boys are so damn troublesome. Hughes, can I see some pictures?"

"Of _course_ you can!" He seemed thoroughly enthused at the idea. "Why, I just happened to have some pictures of Elysia at the zoo!"

Camie took them, looking almost hesitant. "You have doubles, right?"

Maes paused in his description of his daughter's reaction to the baboons, to ask shrewdly, "Yes...Why?"

She took a pen out of her pocket, flipping one photo over and drawing a transmutation circle, which she then set on the small stack of others. Glancing at Ed with a smirk, she pressed her hands to the circle, and after a moment of sparks, she pulled back.

There was a single picture left, and it showed Ed in a weepy puddle at the train station.

Ed looked at it for a moment, then glared at Camie with _grr _in his eyes.


	4. Pictures are Troublesome

* * *

Taking a pen out of her pocket, Camie drew a transmutation circle on the back of the topmost photo before smirking at Ed.

In a flash of sparks, all the photos combined into one, that of Ed in a watery puddle on the platform.

Ed looked at it for a moment, then glared at Camie with _grr _in his eyes.

* * *

"Fair enough?" She asked, grinning. Then a look of dawning came about her, and she began digging in her pocket. "Oh, and I suppose you want proof of being part of the State, right?"

She finally held out a watch, bearing the President's seal. Ed glanced at it, then around at Maes, Roy, and finally sighed.

"Fine, fine, I believe you." Then he grinned, saying, "But isn't she late too?"

Hughes looked at his watch, saying, "Actually, no. While your abilities are comparable, she isn't supposed to be here until tomorrow morning."

Ed huffed, looking at Camie. "Do you enjoy making me look like an ass?"

She said with a smirk, "It's actually jackass, and you can do that on your own."

"Shut up," Ed said languidly, adding in an undertone, "Damn rabbit."

"Hey, you sound like partners already!" Hughes said amusingly.

Camie looked at him with a fond smile. "You act like I saved his life or something."

"Just about." Hughes said, suddenly solemn. "Roy might have burned him alive if he was any more late, or worse; Made him wear a uniform!"

She laughed at the face the man made to go with the sentiment, soon joined by his own baritone chuckle.

_Must've missed the joke._ Ed suddenly thought of something, and asked, "Why were you at the train station?"

She shrugged. "I got lost."

Ed rolled his eyes. "Well, that's smart. Crazy rabbit."

"Jackass."

On the verge of being annoyed, Roy said, "Alright, that's enough, you two. Shake hands and get over it."

"No." The two alchemists said in unison.

Ed looked at Camie, asking, "What's your excuse?"

"Hm." She turned away. "Not exactly my thing. Call me crazy, but I don't find physical contact a necessity in life."

Ed grinned. "Oh really?"

"Yes. Really." She glanced at him. "Why? Are you challenging me, Fullmetal?"

He lunged, and she side-stepped to avoid him. He then threw a punch, but she dodged again.

It went on like this for a few moments, during which Roy and Maes each had a cup of coffee, courtesy of Ms. Riza. Ed finished it by transmuting a block of wood around Camie's feet.

"I win." Ed said, walking over to her cockily.

She looked worried for a moment, then said, "Think again!"

With unbelievable strength (or something of the nature), she managed to kick out of the block, her legs freed. The wood splintered, flying in several directions. She spun around Ed as he raised his hands to shield his eyes. As a last-ditch attempt to win, Ed reached out and managed to brush against her shoulder.

Once she reached the door, she turned back to them, saying with another salute "Good night, Lieutenant Colonel Hughes, Colonel Mustang." She glared at Ed. "Jackass."

She left, closing the door behind her quietly.

"Well." Maes said, intrigue in his voice. "If nothing else, it can be said she won't slam doors."

Ed turned to him, asking, "What's with her?"

"Eh, who knows?" He replied nonchalantly. "One thing you should learn while you're young, Ed, is never try to understand women. When you're in the doghouse--"

Rolling his eyes Ed waved off Maes' speech, "Yeah, yeah, spare me the wisdom. Hughes, how did you get dragged into this anyways?"

He gave a rough grin. "I found her!"

Ed rolled his eyes. "Great, just great. Any idea where she'd go?"

"Her room, she boards in a room like yours in the Traveler's quarters." Roy motioned toward the door, adding, "I believe she's the third door past yours on the right."

Ed nodded, then walked away. As he exited the office, he found Al talking to Ms. Riza. She had been explaining the situation.

"C'mon Al." Ed said, continuing with a curt nod to Ms. Riza.

Al started, looking at Ed. "Brother!"

He started to follow the elder, but stopped and bid Ms. Riza a good night before hurrying after Ed. "Brother, where are we going? Where's--"

"I guess I pissed her off or something," Ed said, already knowing what Al wanted to know. "She ran off, so I'm gonna go find out what's wrong with her."

"You-- What? Brother, what did you do?" Al had to force himself not to dope-slap his elder brother.

Ed replied defensively, "Nothing! We were sparring, and--"

"Why were you sparring?" Al asked vehemently.

"I don't know!" Came the last attempt from Ed. "I'll figure it out later, alright?"

Al stopped, muttering, "Oh, Brother."

Ed found the door, decided against bursting in rudely, and knocked.

"Come in!!"

He opened the door and stepped in, but he didn't see anyone. A uniform jacket was slung over the back of a chair, one of three around a table. "Hello?"

Suddenly a head peeked out from a doorway. "Oh, it's you."

The head withdrew, and Ed followed it into a kitchenette. Camie was standing over the stove, stirring something in a sauce pan. Her eyes were focused on the task at hand, but Ed could see an angry glint to them.

"Um..." Ed rubbed the back of his neck. "I--"

"Don't apologize, you don't know what you did." She said tersely, turning around with a sigh. "We should go over what ever information we have. Do you eat potatoes?"

Ed sputtered for a moment, ending up with, "Potatoes?"

"Soup." Se turned to the side, holding up the pan to reveal its contents. "You haven't eaten all day, I'll assume, since you were running most of it."

With a blink, Ed nodded. "What exactly are you working on?"

"Finding the criminal called Scar."

* * *

Wow, it's been a while . Sorry, hope someone reads this... I combined the original Chapter One and Two because they felt too short...


End file.
